The Myth Of 1B Being The Best Place For A Team

Replying To Pinkie: "Delighted to see Limerick being promoted, well done to them. The reaction of supporters and players at full time did not look like people who think 1B is where they want to be!"

Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling.

Replying To skillet: "Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling."

agree with you! well done limerick,they have soldiered in 1b for too long and i am delighted for them. there is absolutely no way their developing team would be served better in 1b any more. i only watched some of the match as i was working,but from what i seen near the end limerick wanted it more.they clearly had had enough of 1b!

Replying To skillet: "Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling."

Would you agree tho that the time is now right for limerick to get promoted and it wouldn't have done them much good over the last few seasons?Honest question...Personally I think now is the right time as they look the best placed they have in years to compete and win games in 1AMy opinion is 1B can give teams like wexford and limerick (over last few years)confidence and a chance to blood new players. A chance they might not have got in 1AI'd be hopeful Dublin can make similar use of 1B and find new players also and come back strong too

Replying To skillet: "Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling."

Replying To tiobraid: "Would you agree tho that the time is now right for limerick to get promoted and it wouldn't have done them much good over the last few seasons?Honest question...Personally I think now is the right time as they look the best placed they have in years to compete and win games in 1AMy opinion is 1B can give teams like wexford and limerick (over last few years)confidence and a chance to blood new players. A chance they might not have got in 1AI'd be hopeful Dublin can make similar use of 1B and find new players also and come back strong too"

Interesting question. I think when we got promotion back in 2011 only for the league format to be changed, that team would have held their own in 1A..we had some very good players at the time winning munster in 13 and pushing Kilkenny all the way the following year.Definitely a considerable decline in quality after that though, we became very much a 1b team. Too good for the likes of Antrim but not good enough to take on the big guns. We weren't good enough for a while so yes I would agree with you, 1A might have been detrimental. Now is a great time for Limerick to make the step up.

Yesterday's win against Galway for a county like ourselves with brittle enough confidence can't be overstated in its importance.

Replying To skillet: "Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling."

Galway didn't start 4 of their biggest 'bullys' though, in Burke, Canning, Cooney & Glynn, and besides, don't seem to be in the mood to 'bully' any team right now. Might be unwise for Limerick to draw any conclusions, based on the relative merits/demerits of their performances v Galway in '17 & '18 to date. Last year, we were hungry after Wexford. This year, there's no sign of the required appetite just yet.

Replying To Pope_Benedict: "Galway didn't start 4 of their biggest 'bullys' though, in Burke, Canning, Cooney & Glynn, and besides, don't seem to be in the mood to 'bully' any team right now. Might be unwise for Limerick to draw any conclusions, based on the relative merits/demerits of their performances v Galway in '17 & '18 to date. Last year, we were hungry after Wexford. This year, there's no sign of the required appetite just yet."

Yeah, but this year we were hungry and after an inept first half, fought tooth and nail,after being behind for the whole game, took the lead in the 68th minute, pushed on to win. This matters from our point of view. No one here talking ourselves up recklessly.

I think the league in general is a bizarre set of poker matches where teams are afraid to give too much away.

I was disappointed that Tipp didn't start Noel McGratha and Padraic Maher against Kilkenny and go three games unbeaten against them. I'd rather have that little bit of a psychological edge over Kilkenny than hold back and be coy.

When Kilkenny were at the peak of their powers they won Walsh cups, leagues, Leinster and All-Ireland titles like it was going out of fashion. Dublin are doing something now similar on the Football side.

I think at this level of sport the psychology of it is massive. Tipp and Galway league final springs to mind as does Galway's comeback win over Waterford in the league quarter final.

I would much rather Galway were back in Division 1a, yes they may have struggled this year following on from all of the All Ireland celebrations, but playing teams like Tipp, Kilkenny, Waterford etc is what makes you, and will also show you whether a young lad has the mettle for the tougher tasks that lie ahead during the Summer months. It also beggars the belief that you can play loads of untried, young lads in division 1b, bar a few players here and there who were rested for the league, Galway played a pretty strong team right through the league, and didn't discover any players of note. Also as both Limerick and Wexford discovered, the longer you spend in Division 1b, the harder it becomes to get out, so Galway really need to make promotion a priority next season. We're not that good yet that we can afford to play league matches at half throttle, or spend lazy winters basking in the joys of Division 1b.

Replying To gilly2308: "I would much rather Galway were back in Division 1a, yes they may have struggled this year following on from all of the All Ireland celebrations, but playing teams like Tipp, Kilkenny, Waterford etc is what makes you, and will also show you whether a young lad has the mettle for the tougher tasks that lie ahead during the Summer months. It also beggars the belief that you can play loads of untried, young lads in division 1b, bar a few players here and there who were rested for the league, Galway played a pretty strong team right through the league, and didn't discover any players of note. Also as both Limerick and Wexford discovered, the longer you spend in Division 1b, the harder it becomes to get out, so Galway really need to make promotion a priority next season. We're not that good yet that we can afford to play league matches at half throttle, or spend lazy winters basking in the joys of Division 1b."

Would you expect Galway now to go for the league at this stage? If they get to the final they will have 3 tough games..I'd imagine they will want to get to a semi final at a minimum as cship is a bit away yet...

Replying To tiobraid: "Would you expect Galway now to go for the league at this stage? If they get to the final they will have 3 tough games..I'd imagine they will want to get to a semi final at a minimum as cship is a bit away yet..."

I don't think we'll get past Wexford to be honest. I think the Limerick game showed that Galway are well behind the other top sides in the fitness and conditioning stakes at the moment and Wexford might be the fittest team around just now. We were fine against Limerick when we still had the legs in the first half but Galway faded badly in the second once Limerick upped the intensity and workrate.

Replying To tiobraid: "Would you expect Galway now to go for the league at this stage? If they get to the final they will have 3 tough games..I'd imagine they will want to get to a semi final at a minimum as cship is a bit away yet..."

I would absolutely like to see them get to a league final, we're All Ireland champions with a serious enough side, so we should be going hell for leather to win as much as we can with this current side, before the inevitable decline sets in. Bar Kilkenny, very few teams have been able to dominate hurling, so this current Galway side, while no world beaters, along with Tipp they are arguably the two best teams in the country at present, so strike while the iron is hot.

Replying To skillet: "Winning yesterday was huge for us...no more than it was for yourselves last year. It's a real confidence boost.

counties like Wexford and Limerick need to be playing games at the highest level.. I was thrilled with the fighting spirit we showed in the second half.In the league last year when we met Galway they bullied us physically, very gratifying to see Limerick go out and match them.. All in all a very good day for Limerick hurling."

It's about time that the Top 12 get an even mix of intense and less intense games - I would split the 12 seeds so that - Group X with 1 &12, 4 & 9 and 6 & 7 - each plays those in Group Y with 2 & 11, 3 & 10 and 5 & 8.So 12 teams - half round robin of 6 matches per team - 1 league table - top 4 to KO SFs - 1 down, 12th replaced with similar 12-team Div 2 winner.